{Fall Love}

Although I was sad to see summer go, it made ending the season easier knowing that soon I'd be sitting cozy in a knit sweater and boots sipping on a pumpkin spice latte! The sights, smells and feel of Fall make me giddy!

As soon as I could, I started to decorate around the house. 

(Here's my dining area at home.}

Also, I haven't slacked on the comfort food eating! A couple weeks back D wanted biscuits for breakfast. I was happy to oblige since I love biscuits with melted butter and strawberry jam!

(Home made biscuits and a steamy cup of coffee!}

The next week, I was craving cinnamon rolls. These are the Pillsbury ones you can get in the refrigerated area of your grocery store. They're not as good as the real thing, but we made do!

{Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls}

After church this past Sunday we decided to try a new brunch spot we have been hearing about called Bacon and Butter. 

{Here's a snapshot of the apple and bacon fritters we started with.}

This week, I made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. These ones are my spooky Halloween version!

{Spooky Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookies}

Happy Fall!!!

xx, Shiela

{Summer Recap}

Summer 2013 will go down in my personal history as one of the most memorable! Despite some lows, there were definitely more exciting highs, super fun trips, lots of food and awesome memories made. I couldn't have asked for a better summer!

A handful of snapshots from the summer...

{4th of July in San Francisco}

{Drinks at the Vdara in Las Vegas}

{A view of the Bellagio fountains from our hotel room in Vegas}

{Our hotel room in Vegas}

{Labor Day camping trip with the family}

{Hanging on to the last days of summer with a bright bouquet of flowers}

xx, Shiela

{This & That}

It's been a while since I've posted something on this blog. I've been absent for many reasons. When I first started this blog, I thought it was going to be fun and something that would come easy. I mean, what else is easier than talking about the things you love, right?! Wrong. I wasn't even blogging long until it started to feel like a chore. I wasn't even sure if I was posting good content. So, I took a little break.

During this break, lots has happened. So, I'm hoping those events will make for a long list of blog topics for future posts. One of the main things that happened (if you haven't yet noticed) is the name change of this blog...

{Re} introducing...SMITH STREET!

There was nothing wrong with Golden State Gal. I mean, I do live in California. However, it never quiet fit and never quiet felt mine. Then, one day I was sitting on my couch and the first street I ever remember living on popped in my head. All of a sudden, I wanted to name everything, including this blog and all of my future inventions, after it!

WHY?! There are many reasons. The main one is that Smith Street reminds of me of humble beginnings and makes everything posted on this blog that much more meaningful.

And so, it starts again...

I'm excited for future posts. For now, I'll leave you with a quote that stopped me in my tracks a last week.

Via

xx, Shiela

{Dream Kitchen}

We moved into this house a year and half ago and I've had such a fun time decorating every room exactly the way we want it. I think because this is our first home, I went a little crazy and wanted to do EVERYTHING I had in mind! While I love creamy whites and calming neutrals, I also love very masculine severe decor. I love fresh new modern lines but get weak in the knees for unique vintage pieces. I have gotten very lucky with some rare finds on Craigslist but definitely have some very rigid rules as to which items I will NEVER buy used. I can find something I love and wouldn't change in every single room in the house. That is, except the kitchen.

You see, I've always loved, ADORED, sought-after, dreamt about, a white kitchen. White cabinets, marble countertops and sparkly stainless steel appliances. Our current kitchen couldn't be more opposite. We have deep cherry cabinets (i.e., masculine and severe), large pewter floor tile and cream countertops with gray tile detail. Let me clarify, I DO NOT hate my kitchen whatsoever. I actually really loved it when we first moved in. We looked for a bit for a home with white kitchen cabinets but around here, they're rarely done right. I've come to terms that if I ever want my dream kitchen, it will have to be born through a new home build or a kitchen renovation in our next home.

Crisp white cabinets and gorgeous marble countertops.

An oversized island for family and friends to gather around.

Pendant lighting.

A cozy banquette.

Last but not least, a ridiculously large and organized walk-in pantry.

Luckily, we don't plan for this home to be our forever home. So, for now, we're frantically saving for the next one in hopes to be able to build our kitchen exactly how we want! In the meantime, I'm pinning away and and patiently waiting for my dream kitchen.

xx, Shiela

{Health and Fitness Lately}

I've gotten a bit busy lately. So, my fitness routine has morphed a bit. I haven't had the time to make it to the gym or Bikram class as much so I've been doing a lot of my work outs at home. Here are some of the workouts I've been doing!

The weather has been gorgeous out, so I've been taking advantage and doing a little running. I run around our neighborhood and the long way around is about a mile.

I have 3 and 5 lb. free weights at home so I do arm routines in front of a mirror. 

Sample Routine: I use my free weights and do 3 reps of 15. 

Shoulder Press

Hammer Curls

Lateral Raises

Arm Flies

Tricep Curls

I've also been doing lunges! Walking lunges are my favorite. I add weights to make it more challenging and also do 3 reps of 15 for each type of lunge exercise. 

Of course, abs! Working out my abs is my biggest weakness. I often skip this. So, I'm committing to making sure to do my ab workout every single time. 

I hope this shows that you can squeeze in workouts even when you're busy! Working out is one of the things that so easy to set aside when life gets busy. As I get older, I know that this is something that I have to make a priority. I'm hoping to start going back to the gym on a regular basis. In the meantime, this works out for me.

xx, Shiela